Vital Components of E-Book Marketing
Online, November 9, 2010 (Newswire.com) - If you have written an e-book, there is no question that you will need a good marketing strategy. The marketing strategy you have will either make or break your success in the e-book industry and will directly affect the number of sales you have. And remember, your sales influence the revenue and profit you stand to make. Knowing this, here are some vital components of e-book marketing that every e-book author should know.
1 - Start a Blog and Get a Website
One of the first things you should do when you've written an e-book is to get a website and a blog. It is a good idea to have both, whenever possible. With the blog you can build up a readership which may end up translating into sales. You can post articles, thoughts, and start dialogues about your e-book and the topics it may cover. A blog is a great way to build a community and following online. Those that read your blog would be likely to purchase your e-book. Your blog should end up linking to your website.
The website, in addition to the blog, is going to be one of your most powerful marketing tools. If you don't want to set up a unique website for your e-book, your existing site absolutely must have a sales page dedicated to the e-book only. No other information should be found on the sales page. However, it is ideal that you set up a website, just like the blog, that is dedicated to the e-book only. If you can set up a domain that specifically references your e-book, even better! Doing so will afford you credibility.
2 - Build a Mailing List
You may have heard that a mailing list is important when it comes to marketing and advertising. It couldn't be truer for e-book authors. Did you know that people must see a marketing message a couple of times before they actually commit to making a purchase based on that message? That's exactly why you need a mailing list and a newsletter. This is a great, and inexpensive, way of keeping your e-book on the minds of potential readers. Newsletters, like websites and blogs, help build and improve your credibility in the eyes of the customer.
If you do begin a newsletter, you must make sure that you send it out on a regular basis. The most common frequencies are weekly and monthly, so the choice is yours. The most important thing about the newsletter and mailing list is that you include only quality information. You want your readers, and potential customers, to trust you.
3 - Article Marketing
Have you heard of article marketing? Article marketing is one of the best ways to get the word out about your e-book. The scheme is exactly what it sounds like - the writing of articles and making them available online through various sites for accessibility. The greatest exposure often comes from article directory sites. Such sites allow almost anyone to publish an article and are widely read. Article marketing can also drive traffic to your website and blog.
In order to use article marketing successfully for e-books, you need to focus on writing articles either about the e-book or on topics closely related to the subject matter within your e-book. While it is acceptable to publish some articles about the e-book, you do want to stay away from too many summaries and reviews. It comes down to building your authority and credibility. When readers see an article that they like, they will often read more about the author and in turn purchase the e-book.
4 - Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Though you may not have considered Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising for your e-book, it is an effective tool. Many webmasters hoping to increase traffic to their websites take advantage of the benefits of PPC. It is, in fact, one of the easiest and fastest ways to drive traffic to your e-book's blog, website, or sales page. Of course, PPC does cost money, so you may only want to use it for a limited time.
5 - Regular Advertising
Don't forget the regular advertising. Just because your book isn't published on paper and sitting on shelves in a bookstore, it doesn't mean you can't advertise traditionally. E-books are read by the same people that read traditional books. Feel free to publish advertisements in magazines, newspapers, and on the radio. If you can afford a television spot, do it!
6 - Use a Payment Platform or Gateway
When selling an e-book, you will want to give your readers every opportunity to make that purchase. There are a number of sites out there that can help you achieve this goal. A payment platform and gateway will allow your readers to quickly purchase and download your e-book with security and very little effort. Something like PayLoadz is often perfect for selling e-books as it not only makes it easy to purchase and download products but also has its own e-store.